Making Sense Out of Iowa City Streets

Recorded May 25, 2016

Citizen historian Thomas Schulein will present a program on how Iowa City streets were named.

Making Sense Out of Iowa City Streets - Why can't we seem to drive directly from place to place in Iowa City? Why are there no churches on Church Street? Why are some street signs in Iowa City blue, instead of green? Why do the streets First Avenue through Seventh Avenue go from east to west? How did we get all of those streets named after movie stars? And, what is with those strange-sounding names of St. Mathias Alley and St. Clements Alley? This presentation will focus on these issues and more to explain the layout and naming of the streets of Iowa City. Some early history of Iowa City will be explored along the way.

Local History